Afghanistan

Introduction

After more than 4 decades of conflict, natural hazards and chronic poverty, Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises worldwide.

The humanitarian community has faced new challenges since the withdrawal of international troops and the Taliban takeover in 2021, compounded by wide-reaching funding cuts from previously major humanitarian donors in 2025. 

The European Union maintains a stable presence in the country and continues to provide life-saving assistance in Afghanistan through its various funding programmes, supporting vulnerable communities and sustaining essential services despite the increasingly complex operating environment.

Facts & figures

Through its humanitarian efforts, the EU provides vital support to those most in need.

EU humanitarian funding:

around €2.1 billion since 1994

What are the needs?

The UN estimates that in 2026, more than 21.9 million people will need humanitarian assistance. Unemployment, debt and poverty remain widespread, affecting nearly half the population. 

Millions of people across the country do not have access to safe water, enough food, and appropriate health care, making them more vulnerable to diseases and malnutrition. Food insecurity has sharply deteriorated sharply. In 2026, an estimated 13.78 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity, meaning they struggle to secure enough food for survival and risk falling into emergency conditions without sustained assistance.
 

Afghanistan continues to face a deep and multifaceted protection crisis, with women, children, persons with specific needs, and marginalised groups bearing the biggest risks. 

Women and girls

Women and girls are particularly affected by restrictions on their fundamental rights, including limitations on:

• access to education
• employment opportunities
• freedom of movement
• access to essential services such as health care and legal support

These restrictions not only limit personal freedoms but also deepen economic hardship and dependency, increasing vulnerability to exploitation and abuse. Protection risks such as child labour, child marriage and gender-based violence (GBV) are closely interconnected.

Severe humanitarian crisis

The complex and protracted humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is further aggravated by: 
•    climate change - increasing droughts, floods, and extreme weather events are devastating agriculture and rural livelihoods
•    environmental degradation - deforestation, soil erosion, and water scarcity are undermining food security
•    political insecurities - ongoing instability and governance challenges limit access to basic services and humanitarian assistance, especially for women and girls
•    economic instability - high unemployment, inflation, reduced international aid, and financial system constraints are deepening poverty levels
•    epidemics - recurrent outbreaks of infectious diseases strain an already fragile healthcare system

Returnees

More than 5 million Afghans have returned or been deported from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan since 2023.  Many of the returnees, having lived in Iran or Pakistan for years—some pushed to return after decades, others never having lived in Afghanistan—arrive with few belongings and no place to stay. Returnees face severe challenges not only upon arrival but also during reintegration efforts, such as: 

• unemployment
• poverty
• uncertain future 

These mass returns have put additional pressure on a country already facing a severe humanitarian crisis.

How are we helping?

The EU has been funding humanitarian operations in Afghanistan since 1994, providing some €2.1 billion in humanitarian funding.

Given the scale of humanitarian needs, the EU’s priority is to:

• provide lifesaving assistance
• ensure access to basic services
• build the resilience of the population to crises

In 2025, the EU has allocated over €161 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. For 2026, the initial allocation is €162 so far. 

This funding is channelled through vetted EU partner organisations, such as UN agencies, international organisations and NGOs, who provide critical relief assistance to the most vulnerable. Interventions focus on:

To facilitate the delivery of lifesaving aid, the EU has transported around 3 000 tonnes of relief items through 49 humanitarian air bridge flights to Kabul since August 2021. The latest series of flights transported  urgently needed ready-to-use therapeutic food to Afghanistan in February 2025 in response to the deteriorating nutrition situation. 

In response to the fatal earthquake that hit the country on 31 August 2025, the EU has approved €1.5 million in emergency funding and organised 6 flights bringing over 440 tonnes of essential supplies donated by the EU’s humanitarian stocks.